Biscayne National Park Statistics

Biscayne National Park key statistics

• 486,567 recreation visits in 2025¹
• 378,134 recreation visits from January to September 2026 (preliminary), down 3.3% on the same months of 2025²
• 41st most visited of the 63 U.S. national parks in 2025³
• $39.68 million spent by visitors in 2024⁴
• May was the busiest month of 2025, with 53,688 visits²
• 2,604 overnight stays in 2025, 790 of them by tent campers⁵
• About 95% of the park is water⁶
• There is no entrance fee⁷

Biscayne National Park had 486,567 recreation visits in 2025.¹

Year by year:

• 486,567 visits in 2025, down 5.0% from 2024 and the fewest since 2018.¹ That is 31.3% fewer than in 2019.
• 512,213 in 2024, down 10.3% from 2023.¹
• 571,242 in 2023, down 18.5% from 2022.¹
• 701,023 in 2022 and 705,655 in 2021.¹
• 708,522 in 2019 (pre-pandemic), the most in the park's history.¹ During the pandemic, visits fell 43.2% to 402,770 in 2020.

Visitors spent $39.68 million in communities near Biscayne National Park in 2024.⁴

• $39.68 million in 2024, down 5.7% from $42.06 million in 2023⁴
• $42.06 million in 2023, down 17.4% from $50.95 million in 2022⁴
• $50.95 million in 2022, up 0.8% from $50.55 million in 2021⁴
• $26.49 million in 2020, down from $46.25 million in 2019⁴

In 2024, that spending supported 362 local jobs and $55.02 million in economic output.⁴

The National Park Service's spending figures for Biscayne currently stop at 2024.⁴

• Biscayne was the 41st most visited U.S. national park in 2025, with 486,567 recreation visits.³ Counting every National Park Service site, including monuments, memorials and recreation areas, it ranked 124th.⁸
• For every park's position, see our U.S. National Park Ranking.

Biscayne National Park has no entrance fee.⁷ Fees apply only to docking and camping on the islands:

• $25 for day-use docking at Boca Chita Key and Elliott Key, charged Friday to Monday and on federal holidays⁷
• $60 a night for overnight camping and docking at Boca Chita Key and Elliott Key, for up to six people and two tents⁷

You pay fees through the Recreation.gov app, and you need a boat to reach the islands. Senior and annual passes are not sold at the park.⁷

Biscayne National Park is open all year, and its waters are open to boats 24 hours a day.¹⁰ The park has a subtropical climate with sunshine year-round: winters are normally dry and mild, while summers are hot and humid, with scattered afternoon thunderstorms.¹¹

• Winter (December to February): dry and mild, with an average January high of 77°F.¹¹ It averages 1.93 inches of rain that month. Manatees are more common in the colder months.¹²
• Spring (March to May): the busiest season. In 2025, May and March were the park's two busiest months.²
• Summer (June to August): hot and wet, with an average August high of 90°F.¹¹ August averages 9.17 inches of rain. Calm days still suit boating, snorkeling and paddling.
• Fall (September to November): the quietest time of year, but still within hurricane season, which runs from June 1 to November 30.¹¹

When is Biscayne National Park busiest?

In 2025, the park's busiest months were:

• May topped the list with 53,688 visits², at the end of spring.
• March saw 52,222 visits², during spring break.
• July had 47,348 visits², as summer vacations drew visitors for boating, snorkeling and kayaking.
• April drew 46,004 visits², as spring break continued.
• August had 45,826 visits², before visits dropped in September and October.

Biscayne National Park has two campgrounds, on Boca Chita Key and Elliott Key, and both can be reached only by boat.¹⁴

• Cost: $60 a night for camping and docking, for up to six people and two tents.¹⁴ Senior Pass holders get 50% off.
• No reservations: Sites are first-come, first-served, and fees are paid on arrival through the Recreation.gov app.¹⁴
• Stay limits: Up to 14 consecutive days, and no more than 30 days in a calendar year.¹⁴
• No backcountry camping: Tents are allowed in designated areas only.¹⁴
• Pack it out: There is no trash collection, and ground fires are not permitted.¹⁴
• Pets: Allowed on a leash in developed areas of Elliott Key, but not on Boca Chita Key.¹⁴
• Trails: One trail runs the full seven miles of Elliott Key, and a one-mile loop starts at the marina.¹⁴

• Location: Just south of Miami, at the northern end of the Florida Keys.¹⁵
• Establishment: Created as Biscayne National Monument in 1968, it became a national park in 1980.¹⁵
• Size: Covers 172,971 acres, and about 95% of the park is water.⁶
• Islands and shoreline: More than 40 keys, and 4,825 acres of mostly undeveloped mangrove shoreline.¹⁵
• Ecosystems: The park protects four: mangrove forest along the mainland shore, the southern part of Biscayne Bay, the northernmost Florida Keys and the northernmost part of Florida's Coral Reef, the third largest coral reef in the world.¹⁶
• Wildlife: More than 600 native fish species, more than 200 bird species and 29 federally listed threatened and endangered species, including 7 coral species.¹⁵
• Maritime Heritage Trail: Six shipwrecks spanning nearly a century, plus the Fowey Rocks Lighthouse, all reached by boat.¹⁷

Deaths in Biscayne National Park are rare for a park with about half a million visits a year, but almost all of the park is open water, so boating, swimming and snorkeling call for care. Drowning and vessel incidents account for 7 each of the 20 recorded deaths since 2007.¹⁸ Jellyfish, stingrays, sharks and American crocodiles live in the park. Attacks are uncommon, but stay alert in the water, especially near mangroves.¹⁹ A few precautions help keep you safe:

• Boating: Boating accidents claim many lives across the U.S. every year.¹⁹ Learn the navigation rules, wear a life jacket and keep clear of shallow reefs and seagrass flats.
• Weather: Check the forecast and park alerts before you set out. Summer afternoons bring thunderstorms, and hurricane season runs from June 1 to November 30.¹¹
• Sharks and crocodiles: Bait, fresh catches and splashing can draw them in, so take extra care when spearfishing or snorkeling near mangroves and sandy banks.¹⁹
• Sun: Use reef-safe sunscreen or UV-blocking clothing made for the water, with a hat and polarized glasses.¹⁹
• Snorkeling: Go with a buddy and watch the currents. The coral reefs are more than ten miles offshore, so a guided tour is the easiest way to reach them.¹²
• The islands: Bring enough water, food and insect repellent. Insects are heavy in the warmer months, especially on the islands.¹⁴